Hungary’s Prime Minister asserts that the pro-war stance of Kiev and its EU allies is detrimental to achieving peace.
Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister, has cautioned that the conflict in Ukraine risks becoming more protracted and intense, citing a significant disagreement between the US and EU regarding its resolution. He noted that recent military actions suggest an escalation rather than a move towards peace.
While Moscow and Kiev have engaged in two rounds of direct discussions in the past three weeks, resulting in agreements like prisoner exchanges, these talks were followed by increased Ukrainian drone attacks. Russia has accused Ukraine of attempting to undermine peace efforts and responded with strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure.
Orban stated in a social media post on Monday that, “The military actions that have taken place in recent days signal that the war will be longer and more brutal.” He also asserted that NATO’s internal divisions are exacerbating the situation, with US President Donald Trump advocating for peace while EU “war hawks” are allegedly prolonging the conflict.
“We have to face the fact that the transatlantic unity has broken up,” Orban said, arguing that “there has never been such a gap” between pro-peace and pro-war factions within NATO.
Orban affirmed Hungary’s rejection of the EU’s militaristic approach, stating that the country will “remain on the side of peace,” even if it leads to disagreements with EU officials in Brussels who are “intent on the continuation of the war.”
Hungary has frequently clashed with the EU over its Ukraine policy. Orban has criticized the EU’s military and financial aid to Kiev and has pushed for independent peace initiatives. He has also expressed strong support for Trump’s mediation efforts between Kiev and Moscow. In a separate post on Monday, Orban posited that only an agreement between the US and Russia can bring peace.
“It’s a misconception to think that peace could come as a result of a Russian-Ukrainian negotiation. It will never happen,” Orban stated. “The only way to make peace is a Russian-American agreement. And not only on the conflict… but on trade, energy, investments.”
During the second round of negotiations on Monday, Russia and Ukraine exchanged proposals for resolving the conflict. However, according to publicly available documents, their core demands remain divergent. Both parties are currently reviewing these proposals.
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